An early morning view of the Sag Quarries in Lemont, IL. These limestone quarries were allowed to flood, and taken over by the Cook County Forest Preserve. They are a popular place for fishing.

The one thing I've noticed in this forest preserve is the large amount of garbage. It's everywhere. Mostly drink or bait containers and fishing supply wrappers. It's really a shame.

If you venture off the common path and into some of the other less traveled areas, you can experience some great views and some wildlife.

Some areas are only accessible using a makeshift log bridge across a 10 or 12 foot wide channel. I wondered just how deep the quarry was at this point as I was balancing on an 8 inch diameter log with my camera gear. At least I've still got my balance - and thanks to that, I also still have my camera gear.

About Tom

Environmental and landscape photographer Tom Gill captures the natural and man made wonders of the southeastern portion of Lake Michigan, particularly lighthouses, the National Lakeshore, barns, and small town nostalgia. Tom is a blogger on The Huffington Post, and has earned international recognition for his photography, with publication in the Huffington Post, the Daily Mail, the Australian, Melbourne and Victoria Herald Sun, Adelaide Now,Civil War Times, Weatherwise Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, American Motorcyclist, and other major newspapers and magazines. The Weather Channel, CNN, ABC,NBC, WGN news affiliates, and countless online media outlets have also featured his work. Tom holds a Fine Arts Degree in design from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and aside from photography, enjoys woodworking, sketching, painting, and hiking with his family.

To purchase prints of the photographs featured on Tom's blog, on his flickr pages, or on his Google + pages, contact the photographer directly at